Santee keeps in step with river trail plans

SANTEE  Santee will continue to blaze new trails for its residents and visitors thanks to a new grant from the state of California to the tune of nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

For several years, the city has been making strides in its effort to complete a continuous trail along the San Diego River. The city received a financial boost in November from the state Department of Parks and Recreation, which has recommended Santee for a $247,830 grant under its Recreation Trails Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The grant will be used to offset some of the cost of constructing a 1.3-mile multi-use trail along the river east of Magnolia Avenue to the city’s boundary with Lakeside. The Walker Preserve, the area that will be upgraded, has been off-limits to the public for decades while it was being used for industrial sand mining.

“This grant ensures that Santee will continue to make progress on the San Diego River Trail, which when completed, will be a major recreational amenity and improve our standing as a walkable and bicycle-friendly community," said Community Services Director Bill Maertz.

Construction of the Walker Preserve Trail is expected to start in 2014; when it is finished, Santee will have completed about 3.5 miles -- or about 80 percent -- of the city’s portion of the San Diego River Trail.

Santee was one of six communities in California to win the state’s endorsement for a total of $1.47 million in 2014 Recreation Trails Program grants. In all, the state received 56 grant applications for proposed projects totaling $20.7 million.